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They ignite fierce debates, dominate headlines, and polarize public opinion... Join us as we count down our picks for the most controversial personalities making waves right now! Our list includes figures from politics, entertainment, tech, and social media who consistently find themselves at the epicenter of global controversy.
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00:00I'd like to thank the Tesla board for their immense support.
00:03We have a fantastic board, fantastic group of shareholders.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:08And today, we're counting down our picks for the public figures
00:11who consistently find themselves at the epicenter of global debate,
00:16igniting difficult discussions, widespread criticism,
00:19and sometimes passionate defense.
00:22Either they came to the border of the United States,
00:24or the border of the United States, or the border of the United States.
00:27They came to us.
00:27Number 10. Kanye West, or Ye, Musician.
00:41Few figures in modern pop culture have navigated such a dramatic and public fall from grace,
00:46leaving a trail of both artistic brilliance and profound controversy in their wake.
00:52Formerly celebrated as a groundbreaking musician and fashion icon,
00:55Ye's increasingly erratic behavior and alarming public statements have transformed him into a pariah for many.
01:01Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke dropped the visa bombshell late this afternoon,
01:06explaining that Kanye West was no longer welcome in Australia after releasing a song called Heil Hitler.
01:14You're going to have a song and promote that sort of Marxism?
01:18We don't need that in Australia.
01:20His infamous Death Con 3 on Jewish People tweet in late 2022,
01:25alongside subsequent anti-Semitic rants and admiration for figures like Adolf Hitler,
01:30led to widespread condemnation.
01:32This wasn't merely a fleeting media blip.
01:35The remarks resulted in major brands like Adidas,
01:38Gap, and Balenciaga severing lucrative partnerships,
01:42costing him billions,
01:44and significantly impacting his business empire.
01:47You're not Hitler.
01:48You're not a Nazi.
01:50You don't deserve to be called that and demonized.
01:52Well, I see good things about Hitler also.
01:58The Jew, I love everyone.
02:00I'm done with the classifications.
02:02Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table,
02:07especially Hitler.
02:08Number nine, Andrew Tate, Influencer.
02:11On your ex account, to millions of people, you've said this,
02:17stop letting women vote.
02:19Stop giving women position as judges.
02:21Stop giving women political appointments.
02:23As soon as only men run government and law, all the problems disappear.
02:28Women now understand that without male protection, they're nothing but victims.
02:32Bursting onto the scene with an undeniable yet deeply unsettling magnetism,
02:36this self-proclaimed misogynist and former kickboxer became a towering figure in the realm
02:41of online controversy.
02:43Andrew Tate's rise to prominence was fueled by his inflammatory declarations,
02:48often promoting traditional, highly restrictive gender roles and openly denigrating women,
02:53which resonated with a segment of young male audiences.
02:56Society was built by evil, misogynistic men.
03:00And then these feminists came along and destroyed it all.
03:03I believe in protecting women because I don't believe they can fight.
03:05If that makes me a misogynist, so be it.
03:08Women like men who protect them.
03:10No woman wants to be seen as a man's equal in the realm of martial combat.
03:14No, no.
03:14However, this controversy escalated significantly when, in December 2022,
03:20he was arrested in Romania on suspicions of human trafficking
03:24and forming an organized crime group.
03:26These deadly serious allegations cast a shadow of alleged criminality
03:31over his polarizing online persona,
03:33intensifying debates about internet influence and accountability.
03:37The documents claim he threatened one with a gun.
03:41On one occasion, putting a gun in her face, it says,
03:44and then pointing it at her while saying things like,
03:47I'm a boss, I'm a...
03:50Gee, you're going to do as I say or there'll be hell to pay.
03:53Number 8.
03:54Xi Jinping.
03:56General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.
04:00And now to Hong Kong, where today the city reeled from the effect of a new national security law
04:06imposed yesterday by the central government in Beijing.
04:10After nearly a quarter century of relative freedom, there is a new reality in Hong Kong.
04:15And there's a new reality, too, for the U.S.
04:18as it deals with the rising power of China.
04:21China's president, Xi Jinping, operates with a level of authority and influence that few global leaders can rival.
04:27But his tenure is deeply mired in controversy.
04:31Domestically, his aggressive crackdown on dissent and the consolidation of power
04:35have drawn comparisons to Mao Zedong, with a pervasive surveillance state and extensive censorship stifling individual freedoms.
04:43The egregious human rights abuses targeting the Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang, including reports of mass detention, forced labor and cultural erasure, have been widely condemned internationally as genocide.
04:55When Matt Rivers' report on the camps aired on China on CNN, well, as you see there, the screen went black.
05:03CNN was allowed back on after the piece aired.
05:07As Matt Rivers explains, Chinese authorities made his investigation into these camps very difficult.
05:12On the global stage, Xi's assertive wolf warrior diplomacy, China's expansionist claims in the South China Sea,
05:19and economic policies, often labeled as debt-trapped diplomacy through the Belt and Road Initiative, have ignited geopolitical tensions.
05:27You don't have to be a Hong Kong citizen to be punished under this law.
05:34So it is so over-the-top that what it really tells us is that Xi Jinping is a very different type of Chinese leader than his predecessors.
05:47Number seven, Joe Rogan, podcaster.
05:50But all these other government payments that are available, that are connected to this Social Security number,
05:57it seems like if you just chased that all down, you would find the widespread fraud.
06:04You would find where it's going.
06:06Yes, but the root of the problem is the Social Security Administration database.
06:11The modern media landscape is increasingly shaped by podcasting,
06:14and no individual wields as much clout in this space as Joe Rogan.
06:19The host of the Joe Rogan Experience has cultivated an enormous audience,
06:24attracted by his long-form interviews that often explore taboo subjects with a wide range of guests,
06:30from scientists to comedians and conspiracy theorists.
06:33However, this open-ended format has repeatedly landed him in hot water.
06:38What's the thought process behind this?
06:39Is it legit?
06:40Because a lot of people are like, finding Hitler.
06:43Get the f*** out of here.
06:43They found Hitler.
06:44He died.
06:45Yeah, I mean...
06:46Not really?
06:47We don't know.
06:48Right.
06:48That's the...
06:49I mean, this isn't like ancient aliens.
06:51During the COVID-19 pandemic,
06:53Rogan became a flashpoint for spreading misinformation about vaccines and treatments,
06:57leading to calls for boycotts and the removal of his content from Spotify by prominent artists like Neil Young.
07:04One of the principal architects of what some call the online manosphere,
07:08Rogan's outsized influence on young men only continues to grow.
07:13Well, it's like the Pink Floyd line, you know, living life of quiet desperation.
07:16I mean, that just terrifies me.
07:18Well, that's Thoreau's quote, that most men live lives of quiet desperation.
07:22It's one of my favorite quotes ever because it's true.
07:24It's so true.
07:24And I've been that guy.
07:26Oh, my God.
07:26You're just in this world where you just can't wait to just run away.
07:32And how do people get stuck there?
07:34How do you think they get stuck there?
07:35Bills.
07:36Number six, Nick Fuentes, political commentator.
07:40This week, a task force dedicated to fighting anti-Semitism reportedly decided to sever ties with the Conservative Heritage Foundation.
07:49It comes after the think tank's president, Kevin Roberts,
07:51defended Tucker Carlson's interview with a far-right anti-Semitic activist.
07:56This infighting has laid bare a growing schism within conservative circles over how to address anti-Semitism.
08:02As the founder of the America First Political Action Conference, or AFPAC,
08:07Fuentes has unapologetically embraced and promoted white nationalist and anti-Semitic ideologies.
08:13His rhetoric, which often includes praise for figures like Adolf Hitler and calls for a Christian nationalist government,
08:20is widely condemned as hate speech.
08:22Maybe it's not gas chambers.
08:24Maybe it's not an extermination.
08:26Maybe these were people who still unfairly and in a discriminatory way were locked up for being Jewish.
08:32But maybe these technological whores are exaggerated.
08:35Maybe the numbers are exaggerated.
08:36The controversy surrounding Fuentes intensified when he was observed dining with then-former President Donald Trump
08:43and Kanye West at Mar-a-Lago in November 2022,
08:47drawing widespread criticism from both sides of the political spectrum for mainstreaming extremism.
08:53Despite being banned from numerous social media platforms and payment processors,
08:57Fuentes continues to command a following, primarily through alternative online channels,
09:03demonstrating the persistent challenge of combating radicalization.
09:07You know, ultimately, I think the whole political system is just based around
09:11women never being accountable for any of their choices.
09:17Ultimately, that seems to be what, that's what abortion is.
09:19Yeah, of course.
09:20Because 99% of abortions are elective.
09:23So they say it's an unplanned pregnancy.
09:25You had sex out of wedlock with someone you didn't intend to have kids with.
09:28So now we have to kill the kids in the womb.
09:30Number five, Andrew Mountabatton Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, Duke of York.
09:36While there are no new claims in the book, it makes for a harrowing read,
09:40which paints a picture of a web of rich and powerful people abusing young women.
09:46Prince Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing and says he doesn't recall meeting Virginia Giffray.
09:52But yesterday, the Metropolitan Police confirmed it was actively looking into reports
09:56that Prince Andrew tried to obtain personal information about her through his personal protection team.
10:01The British royal family, typically a bastion of traditional decorum,
10:06found itself embroiled in a scandal of unprecedented proportions
10:09with the unraveling of Prince Andrew's association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
10:15The Duke of York's friendship with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell,
10:18coupled with allegations from Virginia Giffray,
10:21that she was trafficked by the prince when she was a minor, shattered his public image.
10:26Virginia Giffray's full posthumous memoir,
10:28obtained by the BBC in a London bookshop this weekend,
10:31describes how she felt she might die a sex slave
10:34at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and his circle.
10:37She says she had sex with Prince Andrew on three separate occasions,
10:41including once with Epstein and approximately eight other young women.
10:45The subsequent civil lawsuit filed by Giffray,
10:48which was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum,
10:50ultimately led to his older brother, King Charles III,
10:54stripping him of his military titles and royal patronages.
10:57Though he has always vehemently denied the accusations,
11:01his association with Epstein has made him one of the most controversial members of the royal family
11:06in living memory.
11:07Now, this strikes me as extremely serious and draws the palace perilously close to
11:13what was going on those years ago.
11:15What did they know about Andrew and his activities?
11:19And why didn't they do something about it?
11:21Those are the questions which are now being asked.
11:23Number four, Elon Musk, Entrepreneur.
11:27You know, there are elections that come and go.
11:29Some elections are, you know, important, some are not.
11:33But this one, this one, this one really matters.
11:40And I just want to say thank you for making it happen.
11:44A visionary entrepreneur, a titan of industry, and a self-proclaimed free-speech absolutist,
11:50Elon Musk's every move seems to generate a whirlwind of discussion, adoration, and intense criticism.
11:57His high-profile acquisition of Twitter, which he rebranded as X,
12:01ignited a firestorm of controversy as he dismantled previous content moderation policies,
12:06reinstated numerous banned accounts,
12:08and presided over a significant exodus of advertisers and users.
12:13Andrew Anglin, the founder of one of the most influential neo-Nazi websites,
12:17just one of hundreds of formerly banned users,
12:20now back on the platform after Musk's Thanksgiving tweet that amnesty begins next week.
12:25Meanwhile, the billionaire cutting the company staff,
12:28including those dedicated to monitoring abuse and hate speech.
12:31This isn't even mentioning his brief but scandal-ridden tenure at the White House's
12:36Department of Government Efficiency, a role that saw him take a chainsaw to the American government.
12:42Beyond X and politics, his leadership at Tesla has drawn scrutiny over labor practices
12:47and safety concerns, while his influence on cryptocurrency markets through seemingly
12:52casual tweets has raised eyebrows.
12:54In just the last hour, we are learning that the person who is already one of the world's richest people,
12:59if not the richest, Elon Musk, could become now, like, the richest by a mile.
13:04Maybe the world's first trillionaire, trillionaire, after three-quarters of Tesla's shareholders,
13:10just late today voted yes on a new pay package for Musk.
13:14That's a meeting that just wrapped up.
13:15Number three, Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.
13:20Thousands of Israelis demonstrated outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence
13:25in Jerusalem on Saturday.
13:27Protesters filed through streets, closed to traffic,
13:30waving flags, banging drums, and blowing horns.
13:35They shouted a chance to replace the 71-year-old conservative
13:39just three days before the country's fourth election in two years.
13:43Serving multiple terms as Prime Minister,
13:46Netanyahu's political career has been a rollercoaster of high-stakes diplomacy.
13:49Intricate coalition building and persistent legal battles.
13:54He has faced ongoing corruption allegations, including charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust,
14:00which have deeply polarized Israeli society and fueled widespread protests against his governance.
14:06His efforts to overhaul Israel's judicial system sparked unprecedented mass demonstrations,
14:12with critics arguing the move threatened the country's democratic foundations.
14:15Today, the president of Brazil, by comparing Israel's war in Gaza against Hamas,
14:22a genocidal terrorist organization, to the Holocaust,
14:26President Silva is disgraced the memory of six million Jews murdered by the Nazis,
14:31and he's demonized into a state like the most virile of anti-Semites should be ashamed of himself.
14:37Furthermore, his hardline stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
14:42the expansion of settlement in the West Bank,
14:44and his leadership during the devastating war in Gaza
14:47have drawn intense international condemnation,
14:50exacerbating an already fraught situation.
14:53Much of the world no longer remembers October 7th.
14:58But we remember.
15:00Israel remembers October 7th.
15:03He condemned countries, including Canada, for recognizing a Palestinian state.
15:09It will be a mark of shame on all of you.
15:12Number two.
15:13Vladimir Putin, president of Russia.
15:16For over two decades,
15:31Vladimir Putin has cast a long,
15:33shilling shadow over global geopolitics,
15:36transforming Russia into an adversarial force against Western democracies.
15:41His controversial reign is defined by a ruthless consolidation of power,
15:45the suppression of internal dissent through jailing or allegedly poisoning opponents,
15:50and the systematic dismantling of democratic institutions within Russia.
15:54Navalny's mother saw him Monday and said he was in good spirits.
15:58Yet somehow, Alexei Navalny,
16:01Russian president Vladimir Putin's fiercest and most energetic critic,
16:05dropped dead suddenly at a penal colony in Siberia.
16:09Prison officials say Navalny went for a walk,
16:12but felt unwell and quickly lost consciousness.
16:16The brutal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 escalated his controversial standing to an unprecedented level,
16:23leading to widespread international sanctions,
16:26accusations of war crimes,
16:28and humanitarian crisis of immense proportions.
16:31His defiance of international norms and his willingness to use military force to achieve his objectives
16:36make him arguably the most feared leader on the world stage.
16:40So the two major goals for Vladimir Putin is one,
16:55to kind of keep Ukraine close to Russia,
16:57and number two is to keep Ukraine away from the West.
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17:15Number one, Donald Trump, president of the United States.
17:20He did not hate his opponents.
17:22He wanted the best for them.
17:25That's where I disagreed with Charlie.
17:28I hate my opponent.
17:30And I don't want the best for them.
17:32I'm sorry.
17:33I am sorry, Erica.
17:35But now Erica can talk to me and the whole group,
17:38and maybe they can convince me that that's not right, but I can't stand my opponent.
17:42Love him or loathe him,
17:44It's virtually impossible to deny that America's 45th and 47th president remains the most uniquely
17:50controversial personality of our time.
17:53His first presidency was a continuous maelstrom of unprecedented events,
17:57from two impeachments to daily Twitter storms that shattered political decorum.
18:01We're going to walk down, anyone you want, but I think right here we're going to walk down
18:06to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women,
18:17and we're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them.
18:22In his second term, many believe he has crossed new thresholds of controversy,
18:28mass firings and purges within the federal bureaucracy,
18:31openly rewriting election rules,
18:33relentless attacks on the judiciary and independent agencies,
18:37deployment of federal forces in domestic settings,
18:40and brazen conflicts of interest between his business interests and the presidency.
18:45All of it cements his place as the most polarizing figure in modern memory.
18:50President, what did Jeffrey Epstein mean in his emails when he said you knew about the girls?
18:56I know nothing about that.
18:57They would have announced that a long time ago.
18:59It's really what did he mean when he spent all the time with Bill Clinton,
19:03with the president of Harvard, who you know,
19:06that is Summers, Larry Summers, whatever his name is,
19:10and all of the other people that he spent time with.
19:13Do you agree with our choices,
19:14or did we miss someone whose very name causes a stir?
19:17Let us know in the comments below.
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